Final answer:
A file server increases overhead for clients but generally offers faster transfer speeds by managing file systems, security, and protocols. The correct answer is c) file server.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about storage solutions and which type of storage increases overhead on clients but offers faster transfer speeds. The answer is file server. A file server imposes additional overhead due to the processing requirements for managing file systems, file-level security, and network protocols.
File servers, which provide file storage services, often impose additional overhead on clients due to the centralized management of files and access controls. While they offer benefits such as centralized administration and ease of sharing, the centralized nature can introduce latency and additional communication overhead for clients accessing files.
Block storage, on the other hand, deals with data in fixed-size blocks and may offer faster data transfer at the expense of increased complexity. File storage (option b) is a broader term and doesn't inherently impose overhead; it depends on the specific implementation and use case.
However, it often allows faster file access and transfer speeds compared to block storage and file storage, which typically handle data at a lower level without the overhead of file system processing.